Tackle Zach Strief admittedly played his best season in the NFL in 2013. Now he's being rewarded, plus the New Orleans Saints snagged their starting right tackle off the open market.

The New Orleans Saints agreed to a new contract Monday morning with Strief to remain with the team that drafted him in 2006. The team announced it's a five-year deal. The new contract is worth up to $20.5 million with $8.4 million guaranteed, according to a source.

The deal includes a $5.5 million signing bonus with Strief's 2014 base salary at $900,000, according to a source. This fits right along the path the Saints needed with the team tightly pressed against the salary cap ceiling throughout this offseason.

It's the first starter the Saints have re-signed this offseason with safety Malcolm Jenkins leaving for Philadelphia and center Brian de la Puente still a free agent.

"We are excited to announce that Zach will stay with us into the future,"
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said in a statement. "Not only has he done an excellent job at the right tackle
position, but he has served us well as an offensive team captain for
the past two seasons and has always been a great asset in the community
since he first came here in 2006."

Saints Free Agency Tracker

Keep track of who's in and who's out on the New Orleans Saints' roster in 2014

Strief received significant interest from Miami and a handful of other teams, although he never had a visit set up with the Dolphins, according to Cindrich. That paved his way back to the Saints after talks heated up last week.

Strief has been adamant about how he wanted to remain with the Saints after becoming the starter at right tackle in 2011. The 6-foot-7, 320-pound blocker started 15 games in 2013, missing the New England game in Week 6 with an ankle injury. That was really the lone hiccup for Strief as he turned out arguably his best season last year.

The Saints selected Strief as the first of their two seventh-round picks in 2006 with the second pick being wide receiver Marques Colston. Strief served as a solid backup and tackle-eligible blocker for his first four seasons. Strief became the team's starting right tackle leading up to the Saints' 2011 season.